Syllabus

Master of Healthcare Administration

HCA 610 – Healthcare Quality for Enhanced Value-Based Patient Outcomes (Summer A 2024)

Credits - 3

Description

This course explores the dynamic between healthcare delivery and leveraging data for enhanced patient outcomes. Given an increased scrutiny on empirical value-based care metrics for payer reimbursement, the strategic use of data will be key in new continuum of care models. Students will complete this course with a solid understanding of healthcare quality standards, the regulations around those standards, and how they are affected by the use of technology and data analysis. Key themes will include quality improvement methodologies, measuring and interpreting quality data, strategies to increase healthcare process reliability.

Materials

Learning Objectives and Outcomes

Program Outcomes addressed by this course:

• Apply technology and the healthcare quality framework to meet the goals of the triple aim of improving the patient experience of care, improving the health of populations, and reducing the per capita cost of healthcare

Course Outcomes

• Examine the three primary quality management activities: measurement, assessment, and improvement
• Apply methods of interpreting healthcare performance measurement data and quality improvement methodologies such as Lean, Six Sigma, and PDCA.
• Evaluate strategies for increasing the reliability of healthcare processes including using technology
• Analyze how quality measurement, assessment, and improvement activities are used to manage population health
• Apply statistical methods to detect changes in quality or performance
• Develop an analytics strategy with a focus on quality and performance improvement
• Demonstrate how to put quality and a patient safety culture into practice

Assignments

Please note that all times in the syllabus and in Brightspace refer to Eastern Time. The discussion board and assignment links for each week will open at the start of the week for submissions.

Discussion Board Posts: Each week there will be a discussion board that addresses a topic within the current module. These assignments will assess your ability to clearly and accurately apply concepts from your readings and from your own experiences. Each week you are expected to submit an initial post and comment on at least 2 other students’ posts. You need to follow APA guidelines for citing any sources you may reference in either your initial post or your response to others. Refer to the Discussion Rubric and weekly discussion question for submission guidelines. Please be sure to follow the individual directions provided with each Discussion Board Prompt, as the requirements may vary from Discussion Board to Discussion Board.

Initial post: You should submit your initial post by 11:59 p.m. Sunday. Your initial post should be approximately 500 words. 

Response to others: You should comment on at least 2 other students’ posts by 11:59 p.m. Wednesday. Your comments to others should be thorough, thoughtful, and they should offer some new content. Do not merely respond with “I agree” or “I disagree.” Engage directly with the ideas of your classmates and briefly mention which part of the post you are responding to.

Research Activity: In week 1, write a 3-4 page APA style paper about one quality-focused organization and provide an analysis of how the organization influences and impacts healthcare improvement. Refer to the Research Activity Rubric and assignment instructions for submission guidelines.

Case Study Measuring Performance: In week 2, write a 3-4 page APA style paper providing your response to the case study posed. Refer to the Case Study Rubric and assignment instructions for submission guidelines.

Value Stream Map Activity: In week 3, select a simple healthcare process with which you are familiar, identify the key steps to the process, and draft a process map. Identify which steps in your process map are value-added and which steps are not value-added. Use an online quality improvement tool to generate a Value Added Flow Analysis. Refer to the Value Stream Map Activity Rubric and assignment instructions for submission guidelines.

Article Critique: In week 4, apply critical thinking skills to an article on a quality improvement initiative and write a 4-5 page APA style paper of your critique. Follow a 3 step process for writing critiques to guide your analysis. Refer to the Article Critique Rubric and assignment instructions for submission guidelines.

Statistical Process Control Activity: In week 5, use an online quality improvement tool to create a histogram, control (run) chart and Pareto chart of data provided. Write a 2-3 page summary of the results found. Refer to the Statistical Process Control Activity Rubric and assignment instructions for submission guidelines.

Research Paper: In week 6, write a 5 to 7-page APA style paper on the application of a performance improvement methodology to solve a value-based care performance problem. Your work on this research paper will provide you an opportunity to take a deep dive into a performance improvement methodology and apply it to an authentic value-based care performance problem. Refer to the Research Paper Rubric and assignment instructions for submission guidelines.

Analytics Use Case: In week 7, respond to a scenario by completing an analytics use case from a template. Provide a complete and cohesive response to each item on the template so it is clear how the measure will be used. Refer to the Analytics Use Case Rubric and assignment instructions for submission guidelines.

Reflection: In week 8, a 300-500 word reflection on what you learned in class and how it applies to your current and/or future work. Refer to the Reflection Rubric and assignment instructions for submission guidelines.

All assignments use scoring rubrics to assess student performance. Thoroughly review the rubric and assignment instructions for guidance on what’s required for each assignment.

Grading Policy

Your grade in this course will be determined by the following criteria:

Grade Breakdown

Assessment Item	Possible Points	Percent of Total Grade
Discussion Boards (8 @ 2.5 points each)	20	20%
Research Activity	6	6%
Case Study	10	10%
Value Stream Map Activity	6	6%
Article Critique	17	17%
Statistical Process Control Activity	6	6%
Research Paper	25	25%
Analytical Use Case	6	6%
Reflection	4	4%
Total	100	100%

Grade Scale

Grade	Points Grade	Point Average (GPA)
A	94 – 100%	4.00
A-	90 – 93%	3.75
B+	87 – 89%	3.50
B	84 – 86%	3.00
B-	80 – 83%	2.75
C+	77 – 79%	2.50
C	74 – 76%	2.00
C-	70 – 73%	1.75
D	64 – 69%	1.00
F	00 – 63%	0.00